Spire Near-Nadir GNSS-R for Sea Ice Detection: First Results

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Global Navigation Satellite System reflectometry (GNSS-R) has emerged as a valuable tool for Earth observations, providing low-cost measurements with high spatiotemporal resolution. This study presents the first application of Spire Global Inc. near-nadir (NN) GNSS-R observations for sea ice detection and sea ice extent (SIE) mapping, covering the Arctic and Antarctic. The delay and Doppler maps (DDMs) of Spire NN GNSS-R show a significant difference over various surfaces. For a test period from February to July 2024, results show that the Arctic’s SIE decreases from 584600 to 333400 km2, and the Antarctic’s SIE increases from 142825 to 584750 km2. Compared to Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2) estimates, Spire NN GNSS-R retrievals achieve a probability of detection (Pd) of 94%–96% and the probability of false alarm (Pfa) and probability of error (Pe) below 0.23%. These results demonstrate the high sensitivity, accuracy, and operational potential of Spire NN GNSS-R for sea ice remote sensing.

Original languageEnglish
Article number2001405
JournalIEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters
Volume22
DOIs
StatePublished - 2025
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Global Navigation Satellite System-reflectometry (GNSS-R)
  • Spire Global Inc
  • sea ice detection

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